FORKS — Friends and family of Benjamin Roldan Salinas continue to search the Sol Duc River for any sign of the Forks man who eluded Border Patrol agents by jumping into the river May 14.
Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian King said 15 to 20 people are searching daily from where Roldan Salinas was last seen — the east bridge at Milepost 212 of U.S. Highway 101 — downstream to Sappho.
“They haven’t indicated to us at what point they will feel satisfied with the search,” King said. “They’re confident that they will find something.”
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office considers Roldan Salinas a missing person. A report has been filed.
King said sheriff’s deputies will continue to track the situation.
No leads
“But we have no leads as to his whereabouts,” King said.
According to a May 16 Border Patrol statement, a traffic stop was initiated by a U.S. Forest Service officer who requested translation assistance from the Border Patrol for two people inside a vehicle.
Border Patrol agents took one person into custody for an immigration violation while Roldan Salinas slipped into the rain-swollen river. Roldan Salinas reportedly cannot swim.
After an initial search by the Border Patrol, concerned residents, many of whom are migrant workers, launched a massive volunteer search.
At least 50 people combed the river every day for a week after Roldan Salinas went missing.
On-duty sheriff’s deputies assisted, but the Sheriff’s Office did not mobilize a volunteer search-and-rescue team because Roldan Salinas was considered a fugitive.
At the height of the search, as many as 150 people were looking for Roldan Salinas, said Lisa Salazar of Forks Human Rights Group. Searchers have access to a drift boat and a volunteer diver, she said.
Salazar, who has been in contact with Roldan Salinas’ family, said the river is still running high.
“They want to find him no matter what condition he is in — no matter what’s happened to him,” Salazar said. “They want to have some closure.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com
